To J. A. Crawley 12 February 1879
Down | Beckenham, Kent
Feb. 12/79
Dear Sir.
I am sorry to say that I can give you no information.1
I have forgotten the very little Greek which I once knew. Nor have I ever read, to my shame be it spoken, the works of Aristotle. From extracts, which I have seen, I have an unbounded respect for him, as one of the greatest, if not the greatest observer, that ever lived.—2
Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
CD cited the observations of Aristotle in Origin 4th ed., p. xiii, Variation 1: 24, 75 and 277, and 2: 51, and Cross and self fertilisation, pp. 415–16. CD’s Reading notebook (1838–51) contains the entry ‘read Aristotle to see whether any of my views are ancient’ (see Correspondence vol. 4, Appendix IV, 119: 2v).
Summary
Can give no information. Has never read works of Aristotle, but has unbounded respect for him as observer.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11875
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Julius Avery Crawley
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 143: 302
- Physical description
- C 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11875,” accessed on 13 May 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11875.xml
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